Method and System for Peer-To-Peer Authorization

1. A method for an authorization operation, the method comprising: receiving, at a central server within a peer-to-peer network from a first peer node within the peer-to-peer network, a search query for one or more resources within the peer-to-peer network; identifying by the central server a resource at a second peer node that satisfies the search query; in response to a determination that the first peer node or a user of the first peer node is authorized to access the resource, inserting by the central server information about the resource into a search result dataset; returning by the central server the search result dataset to the first peer node; receiving, by the central server, a selection of a resource from the search result dataset from the first peer node; in response to a determination, by the central server, that the first peer node or a user of the first peer node is authorized to access the resource, generating an authorization token for the first peer node to access the resource at the second peer node; and returning the authorization token to the first peer node for use by the first peer node in sending a request to obtain the selected resource from the second peer node.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: performing the generation of the authorization token in response to receipt of the selection of the resource.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising: attaching or embedding the authorization token in the search result dataset that is returned to the first peer node.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising: authenticating the first peer node or a user of the first peer node prior to generating the authorization token.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising: sending the authorization token from the first peer node to the second peer node to obtain access to the resource at the second peer node.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising: in response to a verification of the authorization token at the second peer node, providing access to the resource.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising: digitally signing the authorization token for subsequent verification.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising: inserting an identifier for the second peer node into the authorization token; and extracting the identifier for the second peer node from the authorization token at the first peer node to identify the second peer node.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising: inserting an identifier for the resource into the authorization token; and extracting the identifier for the resource from the authorization token at the second peer node to identify the resource.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the authorization token is generated at the central server.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the authorization token is generated at a trusted centralized authority.